Scientists confirm 'fake' Lee Harvey Oswald photo

Science has trumped a popular conspiracy theory that suggests Lee Harvey Oswald was framed for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

An old photo of Oswold shows him in a backyard in Dallas holding a marxist newspaper and the same model rifle used to kill Kennedy. Oswald said the photo was faked and used to set him up at the time of his arrest.

Other supported his claim and said the way he was posing with the lighting and shadows are inconsistent.

A new Dartmouth study now suggests the photo is completely real. Scientists used sophisticated 3D imaging technology to analyze key details of the photo.​

Dallas. Texas. Location of the scene where John Kennedy was assassinated during an official journey, 1963, United States, National archives. Washington, . (Photo by: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

American president John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963) is struck by an assassin's bullet as he travels through Dallas in a motorcade, 22nd November 1963. In the car next to him is his wife Jacqueline (1929 - 1994) and in the front seat is Texas governor John Connally. (Photo by Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The view from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, from which Lee Harvey Oswald is thought to have assassinated President John F. Kennedy, 22nd November 1963. This photograph was taken approximately one hour after the assassination. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In the aftermath of the assasination of US President John F. Kennedy, American politician and Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 - 1973) takes the oath of office to become the 36th President of the United States as he is sworn in by US Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes (1896 - 1985) (left) on the presidential aircraft, Air Force One, Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963. Kennedy's widow, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy (later Onassis) stands beside him at right. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Lee Harvey Oswald (1939 - 1963) (R), alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is detained by a police officer while under arrest, Dallas, Texas, November 1963. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A model used by the Warren Commission to illustrate three shots allegedly taken by Lee Harvey Oswald is seen in the Sixth Floor Museum formally the site of the Texas School Book Depository October 8, 2013 in Dallas, Texas. The the Warren Commission, established by President Lyndon Johnson, studied and rep leased an official report on the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. November 22 will mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of JFK in Dallas's Dealey Plaza. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

A map of Oak Cliff in Dallas, showing the location of eyewitnesses to the movements of Lee Harvey Oswald in the vicinity of the killing of police officer J. D. Tippit, 22nd November 1963. Tippit was shot by Oswald whilst attempting to bring him in for questioning in relation to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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"Our detailed analysis of Oswald's pose, the lighting and shadows, and the rifle in his hands refutes the argument of photo tampering."
Hany Farid, Study's author

Although the Warren Commission claimed the photo was real and other analysts disputed the idea the lighting and shadows were altered, some argued the way Oswald leaned in the photo would have been impossible.

"Our detailed analysis of Oswald's pose, the lighting and shadows, and the rifle in his hands refutes the argument of photo tampering," Hany Farid, the study's senior author, said in an announcement.​

"Our analysis refutes purported evidence of manipulation in the Oswald photo, but more generally we believe that the type of detailed 3-D modeling performed here can be a powerful forensic tool in reasoning about the physical plausibility of an image," Farid added in a press release. "With a simple adjustment to the height and weight, the 3-D human model that we created can be used to forensically analyze the pose, stability and shadows in any image of people."

As one scientist put it years ago, it's highly unlikely anyone had the photoshop skills or technology to forge a photo like that in 1963.

See images of JFK through the years:

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John F Kennedy (life)

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Scientists confirm 'fake' Lee Harvey Oswald photo

1927: Headshot portrait of John F Kennedy (1917-1963) at age ten, standing outdoors and wearing a suit with his hair slicked back. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Future President of the United States of America, John F Kennedy (1917 - 1963) in London. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

American statesman John F Kennedy, later the 35th President of the United States (right), with Mr Borhum at a garden party at the White House, Washington DC. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

1st September 1939: Joe, Kathleen and John F Kennedy, the children of American Ambassador to Great Britain, Joseph P Kennedy, arriving at the Houses of Parliament in London. John later became the 35th President of the United States. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

17th February 1961: Jacqueline Kennedy (1929 - 1994), wife of US President John F Kennedy, and daughter Caroline relax together at home. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

1962: US statesman John F Kennedy, 35th president of the USA, making a speech. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

US President John F Kennedy (1917 - 1963, left) with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (1894 - 1986) outside Government House in Hamilton, Bermuda, where they are holding talks, 22nd December 1961. (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)

President John F. Kennedy greets wellwishers after a speech May 8, 1963 at the White House. (Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

9th November 1960: Senator John F Kennedy, the Democratic candidate who has been elected president of the USA. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)